Deliveries are as easy as 1-2-3

Scotland’s leading independent courier firm have received an unexpected bonus following a recent takeover deal – a catchy new 0845 phone number.

Directors at Eagle Couriers, which has bases in Bathgate, Edinburgh and Glasgow, were left surprised when they found they had inherited the 0845 123 1230 number after taking over one of their oldest Edinburgh rivals.

The discovery only came to light months after the firm bought out Edinburgh rivals QED Couriers in a deal worth an extra £500,000 of business to the firm per year.

Although the takeover was completed last October, staff only discovered the new contact details when they were reviewing all of QED’s assets earlier this year.

Jerry Stewart, one of Eagle Couriers’ directors, said: “When we took over QED, we knew that it was a deal that would help us cement our position as Scotland’s leading independent courier firm. We inherited some of their major contracts with organisations such as the NHS and we were able to combine their 25-year experience in Edinburgh with our own operations.

“However, when we started looking closer at their company assets, we found that they had this 0845 number which they had never used. Their managing director had bought it in 2003 but it was never used as the main switchboard line, so it was just lying dormant when we discovered it.

“We already had plans to expand the business and create a new headquarters in Bathgate, so we decided to resurrect the number and use it as the main point of contact for all of our operations in Scotland.

“It’s a nice bonus and means that we’ve got a shiny new hotline which we haven’t had to pay a penny for. It also means that we can now say that organising a delivery is as easy as 1-2-3.”

The 0845 123 1230 line is now being used as the main contact number for Eagle Couriers’ offices in Bathgate, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

In the past 12 months, Eagle Couriers has also secured a £1.5 million contract with communications giant BT and a similar deal with NHS Scotland that will see the firm deliver documents and medical equipment to hospitals and medical facilities across the country until 2011.

The company also earned security clearance to make deliveries for the Government and other public bodies across Scotland. The firm now has backing from two organisations – the Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA) and Scotland Excel – which both aim to improve efficiency and delivery of important public documents, files and information.